«Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless—like chasing the wind». Ecclesiastes 6:9, NLT
SEVERAL YEARS AGO, the Spanish newspaper El Pais published the full transcript of an interview Mario Vargas Llosa conducted with Jorge Luis Borges in 1981. One of the most interesting moments was when Vargas Llosa told Borges, «You know that most nations on earth these days revolve around money; they are driven by material prosperity,» and Borges replied with these words:
Naturally that would happen, especially if there is poverty. What else can a beggar think of if not money and food? If you are very poor, you have to think about money. Someone who is rich can think of other things, but not someone who is poor. Same as someone who is sick can only think about health. One thinks about what one lacks, what one does not have. When I was able to see, I did not think it was a privilege; instead I would give anything to regain my sight and I would not leave this house.
Borges was so very right! We are constantly lamenting what we lack, and in the meantime not enjoying what we do have. Solomon, who had many of the things we would like to have, warned us, «Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless—like chasing the wind» (Ecclesiastes 6:9, NLT).
The wise man recommends that we be more pragmatic, that we grant value to what is there, to present things. In the words of Matthew Henry, «Better is . . . making the best of that which is present, than . . . the affecting of a variety of imaginary satisfactions.»* In other words, clearly challenging twenty-first-century culture, Solomon attributes more value to contentment than to ambition.
Everything we may have in this world is vanity; therefore, we should enjoy it—in a healthy way and with a moral foundation—before it disappears. When Borges lost his eyesight, he understood how precious it was and realized the privilege he had had. Let’s plant our feet firmly on the ground and learn to be happy with the blessings we currently have. How about making a list of all those blessings right now, and then thanking God for them?
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Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2023
“I AM WITH YOU”
From: J. VLADIMIR POLANCO
Collaborators: Lorina Maya & Avineyda Hernández
